Lowcountry leaders demand a meeting to explain their 526 plan

2016-09-14T22:03:31Z2016-09-14T22:03:31Z

Source: Live 5 news

CHARLESTON COUNTY, SC (WCSC) -

At press conference Wednesday afternoon, Charleston County council chair Elliott Summey and other Lowcountry leaders, including Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg, said they hoped to lay out their 526 completion plan at a meeting scheduled for Tuesday, September 13.That meeting was canceled. Summey and Tecklenburg now have demands for State Infrastructure Bank board chair Vincent Graham.

"To provide, by the close of business on Friday a date certain, in the next 10 days, of when we will have an opportunity to make our case to the infrastructure bank," Summey said.

If a meeting is not scheduled, Summey said he will consider legal action.

Summey said he's met with Graham several times, but that Graham has said he cannot speak for the entire board.

Summey wants the SIB board to hear him out.

"If the group that needs to give us the answers won't meet with us to give us the answers, then what are we left to go?" Summey said.

Summey, surrounded by leaders around the Lowcountry, spoke about his frustration with the ongoing battle surrounding 526.

"We need to finish what we started," Summey said.

"We need to have a positive path forward to keep this contract in place with the SIB board," Mayor John Tecklenburg said.

Summey explained they've been meeting daily with SCDOT to devise a plan to complete the project.

"There are innovative ways we can finance the completion of the project that doesn't take a toll and doesn't take sales tax money," Summey said.

Summey didn't explain the plan but said it would be done in phases and a toll road is no longer an option to fund the interstate's completion.

"A positive path forward that will be a win, win, win and quadruple win for our community," Mayor Tecklenburg said.